Supercell
by raikis
Summary: It was not unwelcome, and it was not unwanted. Alarming, yes. And it scared her to no ends. "You're actually quite an affection species, aren't you?" Nalu AU / alien!natsu (discontinued)
1. Chapter 1

a/n: this took so embarrassingly long. five or six months give or take. this was inspired by a dream i had. i really weird dream.

* * *

Supercell

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* * *

As a child, she did not know any better. She wasn't thinking of or was aware of any possible future outcomes of the contact. She was a little girl who wanted a friend and found it coming through her bedroom window one late night. Her mother had tucked her into bed just a handful of hours before, and left her window open and curtains apart to let in some fresh air. The woman was long asleep by now, and little Lucy should've been as well.

She steered to the sound of soft humming, rubbed her eyes, and sat up in her bed to find an orb moving around in the middle of her room. The surprised noise that escaped her mouth startled the thing, causing it turn to face her. Her features became illuminated by the light coming from the orbs single eye, making her wince and rub her eyes once again. The foreign ball was inches from her noise when she her eyes adjusted to the new found light, causing her to yelp and jump back against her bed, finding herself trapped between her bedroom wall and the ball.

"Life form detected." A robotic voice sounded, making her small form jolt. The white light shinning from the eye turned red and ran up and down her body, "Scan complete. Hu—Hu _man_?"

Lucy, at this point, was just a few seconds away from screaming and running out of the room for her parents. But the cold feeling of the wall she was bracing and the alien ball staring at her was preventing her from moving. Her arms and legs felt stiff as stone, but she did not feel too afraid, though just enough to keep her still.

"Name?" The orb asked, its eye flickering just slightly.

"Are you an alien?" Lucy dared herself to ask, but her eyes were going back and forth between the ball and her bookshelf.

"Are you an alien?" The orb repeated, its voice sounding a bit conflicted, "I asked for a name, not a question. Or was that your name and not a question?"

Her limbs seemed to have started to find their way to move as Lucy's mind started to register that it didn't seem to want to hurt her, but she remained cautious. She leaned forward from the wall and placed her weight on her hands, then slowly situated herself in a seated position on her legs.

"My name is Lucy," She answered, staring into the eye. "Are you an alien?" Her voice remained quiet since she did not wish to wake her parents. The urge to get up and scream out of the room was now gone and was replaced with some newfound curiosity.

The orb remained silent for several seconds, seemed to be taking in her answer and repeated question. "I am a translator and, as your kind would call, a rover," Ignoring her surfacing confusion to its words, it turned its attention back to the center of her bedroom, scanning her furniture and loose toys. "I translate your language to my home planets so they can understand."

"What is your name?" Lucy asked, crawling off her bed and following the floating orb around her room. "I told you mine."

The orb turned back to her, scanned, and then buffered. There were a few seconds of static coming from the machine before it said—

"Natsu."

Lucy wrinkled her nose. "Natsu?" She questioned, noting the change of voice.

"Lucy?" The eye blinked, and a small smile turned the corner of her lips.

"Natsu," Lucy said back, pressing her fingers to her lips to suppress a giggle. The orb tilted and moved in closer to her face, studying her amused features. Lucy's smile, which was still being covered with her hands, did not waver as the ball's cold surface grazed the skin of her nose. One hand of hers dropped her face and was lifted into the air above the orb, slowly inching her finger tips towards it, wanting to feel it.

"Lucy? Are you awake?" Lucy snapped her head around to her door where her mothers voice can be heard coming from the hallway. She darted for her bed and climbed back under her sheets and blanket, burying her head between her pillows. Her mother walked into the room a moment later and came up to her bedside, and Lucy felt the woman's larger gentle hand cup the side of her face, "I was sure I heard your voice."

The mother hummed, but placed a kiss on Lucy's temple before taking her leave.

Once the door was heard shut, Lucy shot back up and looked around the room. Disappointment flooded over her as she realized the floating orb was gone and she was alone. With a frown, she lowered herself back down between her pillows, curled her blanket up under her chin, and sighed. Her eyes were nearly completely shut when a light rose up from over the side of her bed, and she looked up to see exactly what she was looking for.

"You're—" She shot up once again, both her hands hitting the edge of her mattress and slipping out from under her, causing her to immediately fall over the bed and towards the floor. Lucy had little time to react to the sudden movement, but was saved just before she came in contact with the floor when the orb swept underneath her, bracing her form upon it. She was slowly lifted back to the bed. "You're still here!" The blonde said in a hushed tone, but her childish excitement was shown in her eyes.

"Do you want me to leave?" The voice asked. Lucy quickly shook her head and scooted back, tapping her bed to motion the orb to come up. "I am not allowed to talk to other life forms until I am older. I am only to be collecting data," The orb explained, and Lucy understood that she was not talking to the robotic voice any longer, but was communicating to the being controlling it. "But you amuse me."

"Is that a good thing?" Lucy questioned the usage of 'amuse' and cocked her head, pushing her legs under her blanket and sheets.

"You interest me, Lucy."

She did not know when she had fallen asleep, but when she woke to the sound of the house maids knocking on the door, Lucy was happy to find the orb was still hovering next to her, watching over her.

Lucy kept the alien orb a secret from everyone, even her parents, and kept it to herself. She spent most of her time in her bedroom sharing stories and what not, and everyone thought she had reached the age of thinking up imaginary friends, because whenever they would look she was alone. But when they're backs were turned, she was laughing and playing with the alien orb.

A year later, after the funeral of her mother, Lucy locked herself in her room and cried. Heavy rain fell outside and sprayed in through her opened window, but she paid no mind. The orb, sensing her emotional pain, attempted to comfort her by pressing its form against her arm, but Lucy jumped.

"C—Cold!" She yelped, feeling the shock shoot up her shoulder. She brushed the tears from her eyes when she noticed the orb staring at her. "Natsu . ." A wave of emotions came over her and her eyes filled with more salty tears, and she leaped forward and threw her arms around the ball, hugging it into her shaking form. "You're . . You're so cold," She sniffled, hugging it tighter. Her heart was in so much pain. It was practically unbearable.

"You've had a great loss, Lucy," The voice said, and Lucy nodded, silently repeating her mother's name in her breaths. Minutes passed before the orb pulled away and backed away from Lucy, and she questioned its actions by moving towards it again. The orb left through the window after, promising her that they would meet again, and that maybe its affections wouldn't be so cold to her. Lucy had no choice but to watch her friend leave and disappear in the fog of the rain, but she believed the words it left. Deep inside her she knew it couldn't stay, it was not of this world.

"Bye, bye," Lucy waved, wiping her tears dry and closing her window.

* * *

. . .

* * *

"Our government sucks," Lucy snorted in her coffee cup at her friend's words. "They keep all the good stuff to themselves."

"What do you mean, Cana?" Lucy asked, hiding her smirk in her drink. "We probably know just as much as them, you know. By the way, how's your paper coming?" Her friend grumbled at her question and dropped her forehead into the keypad of her laptop. "We came here to do _school work_ , not to complain about our government."

" _Yeah_ , _yeah_ , I know. But don't you think they're hiding a lot of stuff from the public eye?" Cana asked, taking a large gulp of her drink and pushing her laptop aside. "This place is crazy, I tell you. I always feel like I'm being watched or something!"

Lucy shook her head and pushed the laptop back in front of the rambling girl, motioning her to keep working. "That is because you only moved here for school—you're not used to this place."

"That is true, but I'm tellin' ya, Lucy," Cana pointed, pushing her laptop away again. "One of these days I'm going to be abducted by some alien race and you'll never hear a thing. Missing posters all over the place and no one will know."

Lucy rolled her eyes and placed her chin in the palm of her hand, and turned towards the window. She looked at the sky and at the angry clouds that were rolling in from the distance. It had been nine years since the leaving of her 'alien' friend, and as she grew and matured through those years, many questions went through her mind about it. She wondered if she imagined the whole thing, for example, since it left the same day her mother did. Everything seemed to have left with her mother when she passed.

"How's your dad?" Cana asked, pulling Lucy out from her train of thought. "Is he still bugging you about moving back?"

Lucy sighed, nodding. "I get a new letter from him every week," She enjoyed that her father was keeping in contact upon her moving out after high-school, and despite the years of verbal abuse and practically ignoring her, but she just couldn't go back there. She was almost done with her freshman year of college, and she liked to think she was doing perfectly on her own. Being an independent woman felt great. "What about you?" Lucy asked, looking up to Cana with shining, teasing eyes.

Cana groaned and turned her head, but Lucy saw the red hue staining the woman's cheeks. Cana was a junior in college and moved here to look for her father, who was actually one of their professors at their school.

"Still being annoyingly affectionate," Cana grumbled, but Lucy knew she didn't mind. She knew the older woman was happy to have her father in her life. "Anyway, I swear if I fail this test, I'm dropping out and becoming a stripper."

Lucy rolled her eyes. She had heard this many times. "You won't become a stripper, and you _won't fail_ if you just keep working."

"Just sitting in one place for this long is booorringg," Cana whined. "I want to go have fun! The sun has already set and we have been sitting here since lunch," Lucy sighed and rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time, closed her laptop and started collecting her books. Cana perked up. "We're done?"

"It _is_ getting late," Lucy commented. "It's the weekend but that essay of yours better be before Monday," Lucy pointed sternly and Cana nearly jumped out of her seat in delight.

"Oh thank goodness! My bottom is so sore," In a flash, the woman had her laptop and belongings in her arms and was running out the door. "Catch ya Monday, Lucy!"

"Finish your essay!" Lucy called after the woman, walking out of the little coffee shop herself a moment later. She mentally told the sky to wait until she was home and inside before down pouring on the city, because frankly, she forgot her umbrella and would like to get home dry.

But knowing that nature waited for no one, Lucy started to jog across the street and through the handful of people walking along the sidewalk. Her apartment was just a few streets away, and as she started to see the roof of the tall pink building, sprinkles of rain started hitting her face and legs.

She made it to her door before it started down pouring and walked inside with a breath of relief, thanking the weather for listening to her. She tossed her bag to the side by the door and peeled her shoes off, stretching her arms over her head before collapsing on her bed.

"Rain, huh?" Lucy mumbled, staring blankly at the window as droplets of water started to build up and roll down the glass. She rolled over on her back and turned her stare towards her dresser, where a picture of her parents was sitting. A slightly larger frame of her mother sat up in the middle, the woman smiling face seeming to stare right back at her. Lucy smiled a bit and rolled off the bed and walked up to the dresser, and ran her finger down the side of the wooden frame. Today was a painful anniversary.

[ _You've had a great loss, Lucy_ ]

Lucy inhaled deeply through her nose and sighed, dropping her eyes and turning away from the pictures. She walked into her bathroom raising her shirt over her shoulders, deciding that she needed a warm bath. Surfacing memories always increasingly happened around this time of year and day for her, so Lucy wanted to relax before lying down for the night. After filling her bath, she ducked her head under water, holding her breath before resurfacing and running her nails through her scalp. The small room filled with the soft scent of her bubble bath and steam, and once her fingers became wrinkled like prunes, Lucy decided to drain the water and wrap herself in a towel.

Once her hair was towel dried and she was in her pj's, Lucy crawled into bed, but not before cracking her window open and pulling the curtains together to let in a little fresh air. The smell of passed rain breezed in, relaxing her tired body as she situated herself between her pillows. Lucy took one last long glance at the frame on her dresser before shutting her eyes, and willingly being pulled into sleep not long after.

Or so she thought.

For what felt like a matter of minutes, Lucy was jolted up from her slumber when a sharp thud sounded from outside her window. She crawled to her window to peek, thinking and hoping it was a neighborhood stray, and leaned her head over the ledge and looked right to left. Each direction came up empty. Sighing, Lucy passed it as a random noise and dropped back into her bed, grumbling at her bedside clock when she noticed it was three in the morning. Her eyes shut and her body went limp with one arm hanging over the bed. She didn't even bother with crawling back under the covers, but when she heard another noise coming from outside—sounding closer than the last—her eyes shot open.

Again, she crawled over the window, a little annoyed, and looked right to left. She was just about to lie back down when movement coming from down below caught her eye.

There was a shaded spot shifting in the bushes just below her window. Lucy rubbed the sleep from her eyes and squinted, trying to make out the shape. Her hands pressed and held her weight against the window ledge, taking her as far out as she could possibly go.

"What?" She would've guessed it was a dog, but the size was too large. The shifting and movement stopped just long enough for her to lean out a little lower to make out the form of the reason she couldn't get any sleep. "Hello?" Lucy quietly called out, knowing her neighbors would chase her with broom if she dared to wake them so early in the morning.

[ _Life form detected_ ]

There was one last shift below her before something suddenly dared from the bushes and latched onto the wall above her window. Lucy's body violently jerked back into her room and fell back over her bed, her body scrambling to the floor in a pile of flailing limbs. She made out of what looked like a torso crawling over her window before she quickly slipped under the bed, gripping her mouth with both hands as tightly as she could.

She heard her curtains being ripped and felt a heavy weight press against her mattress. The shadow from the window was deformed on the length of her floors, but she could make out a head as it crawled in, along with something long whipping behind it. Lucy swallowed and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to remain silent.

The noises coming from the being above her were not human, and she felt every movement it made against her arm from the position she was in against the floor. She saw her sheets, blanket, and pillows fall to the floor in front of her before an arm came down from the bed. Lucy nearly gasped, and gripped her mouth harder, seeing the size and color of it. The room was dark, but it wasn't hard to tell from the moonlight.

Its long, sharp nails scratched her wooden floor as the being started to crawl down. Its arms were muscular and didn't have a normal human skin tone—it was dark, but the way it shone in the mooncrest light gave the obvious indication it wasn't a natural tone. As the creature stepped foot the floor, revealing its gaped feet—split in the middle, looking like it only has two large toes—Lucy held her breath as a lizard-like tail fell limply to the floor behind it. The creature slowly made its way to her hallway, bumping and peeking in boxes as it went.

Once the last of it disappeared through the doorway of her bathroom, Lucy quietly moved out from her place as quickly as she could. She reached up on her bed to grab her phone before crawling to the other side of the room, ducking under the table and scooting inside a large safe her father gave her as a gift for her new apartment, but hadn't found a use for it until now.

Lucy pulled the safe's door to a crack before she started scrolling through her phone contacts, fingers trembling and breath shaking. She stopped at her father's name, considered it, but then decided against it. Last thing she needed was the whole police force and government at her door and waking up her neighbors. But maybe this was a situation that called for it? Who was she kidding, it absolutely called for it!

Calling Cana also came to mind, but the woman was probably drunk asleep by this hour, so Lucy pushed that aside. She started panicking and pressed her phone to her forehead, praying that the thing leaves before it found her.

She heard her bathroom door creak and tried to pull her legs tighter against her chest, seeing the creature crawl its way back into her living room. It looked under her bed, making her thankful she moved, and started growling when it seemed to not find what it was looking for. Lucy kept her breathing as steady as she could despite how deprived her lungs and heart seemed to be, and inched her hand over to the safe's door to close it more, knowing it was just a matter of time before she was found. Her phone, which was poorly balanced on her knee, slipped and cluttered against the metal door before falling and sliding onto the floor.

Immediately the creature reacted to the noise and was darting in her direction. Lucy screamed and tried to close the door, but a large clawed hand prevented her from doing so. Her ankle was grabbed and was pulled hard enough to drag her out from the safe, and Lucy desperately tried to hold on to it. She was drug to the foot of her bed where she managed to kick her ankle free, but two arms caged her place on either side of her abdomen.

Lucy, now trembling in fear, kept her head turned and her eyes diverted away. From the corner of her eye, she saw an arm being lifted from the ground and was inching towards her face. Her eyes squeezed shut, terrible thoughts speeding through her mind until she heard the clunk of something shooting through the window and colliding into the creature's head, causing it to tumbling over into the ground between her shoulder and neck. Lucy felt the heat of its breath blow down her neck, making her eyes shoot open and goose bumps erupt down her spine.

Her eyes darted around the room as the creature started shifting on top her, and her sights landing on an orb that was hovering just inches over its back. Flashes of the one-eyed ball that came through her window as child went through her mind, and before she knew what she was doing, she was rolling over on her stomach and grabbing the ball just as the brute lifted off of her. The blonde held the orb tightly into her chest as she scooted back towards her table, noting the large dent in the metal where the machine connected into the creature's skull.

"No!" Lucy yelled as the orb was smacked from her grip, and she watched in horror as it bounced back across the room, dinging against the walls and rolling into the hall, "Natsu— _uhg!_ " She shot up to retrieve it again, but the top of her head came in brutal contact with the rim of her table. Her vision moved and blurred, and she felt her knees drop into the floorboards, and the ground sinking in below her. She fell towards the floor, trying to use her hands to hold herself up, but they soon gave out just as her eyes fell.

Lucy barely managed to register the arm that wrapped around her abdomen before her world went black.

* * *

. . .

* * *

Her eyes slowly fluttered open, and the first thing she noticed was the raging pain at the top of her head. She let out a low groan as she moved her stiff limbs, noting that she was under all her pillows and sheets. The memories from last night throbbed against whatever demon lump her table had gave her, and it felt like her blood was just pulsing the pain through her bloodstream and all around her head, and she knew pain relievers were going to become her new best friend.

Another groan left her lips as her pillows fell to the floor and she sat up on her bed. She hissed in pain and pressed her palm to the side of her forehead, feeling the bump and feeling the bruise. She cursed and looked around her room, noting that her father safe was upside down in her kitchen and her wooden floors were scratched up in places her landowner was going to kill her for.

Lucy moved to kick the coverings off her, but other movement from her own on her bed made her freeze, and Lucy slowly tested her courage to look beside her, where she found a tail slowly moving around in her sheets. Memories from last night, from the brute that crawled through her window, to her being drug across the room from her fathers safe, surfaced her mind as she slowly followed the tail to the body it was connected to.

A large swore rung throughout the room as she jerked back, both her hands slipping off the edge the bed and tossing her over. She would have collided into the hard floors if it weren't for the hand that reached out and grabbed the collar of her shirt and yanked her back up, ripping holes in her blouse with its claws. Lucy felt at loss of breath, pressing a hand to the side of her head, and looked up to the creature sitting casually beside her.

"He—Hey!" She yelped, pushing the male as he narrowed his eyes down the top of her shirt. Her balance wavered, almost sending her off the edge of the bed again, but he grabbed her top once more and pulled her back. Lucy crossed her arms over the top of her chest to prevent his curious eyes from wandering and tried to free herself from his grasp.

 _It—It is a male, right?_ Lucy thought, quickly flickering her eyes up and down the alien-like creature innocently ripping holes in her night shirt. There was nothing that stood out to show it _wasn't_ male, so Lucy was convinced.

"Let me . . ." Lucy was now using both hands trying to remove the iron grip holding her in place. The brute, who was unfazed by her massive effort, released his hand and watched her fall back and roll over the bed, wincing when she disappeared over the edge and landed on the floor, "Uhhg—" Lucy moaned, picking herself up off the floor, only to fall over again once the pain in her head demanded attention. She pressed her knees into the wood and held her forehead in both her hands, cursing over and over under her breath.

Pain reliever. That was what she needed.

Slowly pushing herself up, she shuffled her way into her kitchen for the bottle of pills and gulped them down with a cup of water. Her mouth was surprisingly dry, she discovered, dropping the now empty demitasse in the sink. Lucy pressed her back against her counter and stared at the brute through her bangs, which was still in its place at the top of her bed.

Did it watch her sleep _all night?_

Was it just being considerate after trying to kill her, or to be sure she didn't kill herself from slamming the top of her head into her table?

Lucy sighed and slid down to a seated position on the ground, hoping the pain pills would kick in faster. Honestly, she was surprised she was not freaking out for her life like she was last night. Her hand moved up to push her bangs aside from her eyes, and she cocked her head against her shoulder, her eyes still fixed on the being crawling down from her bed. Although the brute's structure could pass for human, it had many qualities that were too foreign.

The tail, the feet, its ears, hair, and skin color. But those just may have been a small portion of the differences between her and him. Who knew what other qualities this thing could be stored inside of him, and underneath those bottoms, especially?

The knot on her head thumped as her eyes narrowed at his legs, her mind still not registering that he was moving towards her. She stared at the fabric that covered from his waist to his feet, tensing her brow as her eyes followed up the black line on the white material that went up the length of his thigh until it stopped on it his hip.

The black of its tail had a hue of red to reflect the light and its movements, but as it went up the vertebra, the black faded into a deep coral and dark rust. Lucy's eyes smoothly ran over the male's shoulder blades and down his arm, her eyes becoming locked on the nails that she had yet to comprehend were inching toward her cheek. It was only when the rough skin grazed her own did she notice how close he had come to her, nearly jumping out of her skin when he flickered his face towards her, his lips coming within centimeters of her own before she gave a violent reaction. Lucy yelped and slammed her forehead into his and then climbed her way up her counter as the brute became occupied with holding his head within his palms. Though the action did nothing but make her own headache worse, Lucy ignored the sting and stepped around the creature's form, standing on her toes and was careful not to step on his tail.

She braced herself against the corner of her wall, just shy of her hallway, and stared and his fatal form with a drumming and alarmed heart. It didn't take long for him to recover and turn a dark look to her over his shoulder, pressing his claws into her wooden floors as he picked himself up. Lucy backed up a step when he moved to come towards her, but both them stiffen when a few loud knocks coming from her front door followed by no one other than her best friend, Cana, yelling her name from behind it.

Lucy watched in horror as the brute's back straightened, obviously surprised by the noise, and snapped his attention to her wooden door. She reacted fast, forgetting her previous jumbled nerves, and grabbed his tail with all her might when he made a dash for the threshold. Just as she pulled, the creature let out a shriek of pain and flailed in attempt to release himself from her hold, but Lucy dragged him down the hall and into her bathroom determinedly. Last thing she needed was her best friend seeing or being attacked by this thing!

It was a hard task, especially getting him around the corner and into the bathroom. He clawed at the doorframe and bundled up her floor mat, but she finally managed. Quickly, she dropped his tail and jumped over his legs when he moved to fold back towards her, hugging his tail when she closed the door and ran to the front of her apartment.

Cana knocked again just seconds before Lucy threw open her door, out of breath and her hands red and raw. The brunette looked shocked and looked like she wanted to voice a question, but decided against it and held up a packet of papers to Lucy's direction.

"I finished writing my essay like you told me!" The older woman said, pride laced in her tone. "Will you revise it for me?" Lucy gaped and took the papers in her hands, flipping through the pages for a moment. "I'll be counting on you, then. I'll turn it in myself, don't worry."

"Wow, Cana," Lucy marveled. "Yeah, I'll look over it for you!" Tucking the papers under her arm, Lucy waved and moved to shut her door, but was stopped by a hand and a taunting grin, and she felt her stomach drop to her hips.

"What happened to your shirt?" Cana asked, pulling out an alcohol bottle from God knows where and tilting it against her lips. "It wasn't torn like that when you bought it, right?"

Lucy felt herself starting to sweat under the girls stare, wishing she had been quicker to shut her door or hadn't answered it at all. "U—Uh, that is . . . um," What could she say? It got caught on something? She fell down the stairs? Kitchen accident? A monster ripped her shirt? Which one of those excuses would Cana believe?

She had to think long and hard about this, but knew she didn't have a moment to spare when various of things crashing came from her bathroom, and instantly the brown-haired girl's attention was elsewhere, and Lucy knew she had already jumped to her own conclusion. Lucy was pressing her feet into the floor and pushing against her front door with every ounce of strength in her body once Cana tried to force herself in, question after question flying out her mouth.

"You have someone over?! Is that why your shirt is ripped?" Cana squealed, trying to push in against Lucy's force, but her heels were sliding back on the concrete. "Who is he? I didn't know you liked it rough, Lucy!"

Despite the last comment making her face light up, Lucy gave one last push and closed her door. "I'll message you later, Cana!" She heard her friend groaning in complaint. It took a few moments until Lucy heard the woman turn to leave, the sound of her heels clicking down the metal stairs, and Lucy sighed long in relief when she was sure she was gone. Mentally apologizing to the woman, Lucy was brought back to her current situation when she heard her toilet flush, and made a sliding dash for her hallway and paused at the bathroom door, almost afraid of the damage that could've been done in the short amount of time he'd been in there.

She turned the knob and pushed the door open just to find the varmint crouched in front of her toilet and his hand splashing inside it. Lucy pulled a face of pure disgust and stomped her way into the room, grabbing his wrist and yanking him into a standing position next to her.

"What do you think you're doing to my toilet!" She scolded, even though she noticed her shower curtain was broken and crumbled along the rim of her bathtub. "Come here!" Much to the surprise that washed over the brute's features, Lucy held his hands down in her sink under the cool running water and started pumping soap onto both their hands, scrubbing and rubbing away any germs or whatnot the best she could. She did not notice he was watching her, paying little mind to the slight abuse she was giving his palms, too focused. Once she was satisfied, she turned the water off and dried both their hands off with her hand towel she had hanging next to the sink and crossed her arms under her chest. "Now! If you can understand me, mind telling—mph!"

After his hands were dry from her towel, both them came up and cupped her face, muffling her sentence by pressing his lips into hers. Lucy's eyes shot open and her hands pushed against his bare chest in effort to pry him off of her. She backed up, his hands still holding her face in place against his until the back of her knees hit her tub, causing her to fall back once he released her from his grasp.

Lucy scooted back to the wall and covered herself with her shower curtain when his towering form stepped into the tub over her. Her heart was drumming in her chest in fear, afraid of what he was going to do to her. But the question _"Why did he just kiss me?"_ was speeding through her mind among else. She felt his nails grab onto the fabric of her covering, causing her squeak when he ripped it of and tossed it into the hallway.

"W—Wait! What are you doing? Stop it!" Lucy held her arms out in front of her in protection, feeling his feet against her thighs cage her in place as he leaned down towards her. Fearing the worst, she squeezed her eyes shut. His hands wrapped around her forearms gently, but it was enough to make her body flinch.

"I do not wish to hurt you, Lucy," Her eyes snapped open at the deep voice that came from him, discovering his face was hovering inches from her own. His inky eyes were as soft and foreign as his voice, and Lucy felt her guard lowering each passing second as his words echoed in her ears.

She wanted to faint. She could feel herself getting light-headed. Did she smack her head when she fell in the bath?

"Who are you?" The words rolled off her tongue without her consent just above a whisper, but with the way his ears perked and head cocked just slightly, Lucy knew he had heard her.

"My name is Natsu."

 _Natsu._

And just like a final blow, Lucy's head dropped against the porcelain surface of her bathtub.


	2. Chapter 2

a/n: if you didn't notice in the story summary, i am discontinuing this fic! thank you to the people that had messaged me and have been patient until now!

* * *

Supercell

. .

.

* * *

It took seconds, maybe minutes, for Lucy's brain to register that she was staring at her hardwood floors through her lashes. She was under all her sheets and pillows again like she had woken up this morning.

The blonde slowly blinked as her groggy vision adjusted to the faint light and focused on waking up. She inhaled deeply through her nose and carefully moved her legs and arms towards her chest, stretching her limbs before pushing the blanket and pillows to the side, not thinking to care as they rolled to the floor at her feet. A bolt shot up her leg the moment her toes touched her cold floors, both palms of her hands pressing and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She ran a hand through her hair, careful to avoid the angry bump on the top side of her head, but not careful enough to miss the new one on the back.

" _Ahh_ ," Lucy hissed, holding her hand above the sore area. She winced visibly and lowered her hand to her lap, moving to stand from her bed but the action fell futile the moment two curious coral arms emerged from beneath her legs, and grabbed a hold of her bed-spring. Lucy gasped and brought her legs up from the ground and stood upon her mattress, moving to the corner by her window as the brute pushed himself up. The memories in the bathroom returned the moment her eyes locked with his, and subconsciously fell to his lips which had carelessly pressed themselves into hers just minutes or hours before.

Just how long had she been out?

Lucy cursed, feeling her face heat up in unwelcome embarrassment. Her gut rolled uncomfortably and a nauseous feeling was working its way through her gut.

The brute worked its way on the mattress on all fours, Lucy not allowing it near her as she moved to the other side of the bed, suddenly becoming trapped braced against the wall and the alien crouching before her. He seemed to have sensed her fear and kept a distance from her heaving form, but kept an arm raised in concern, Lucy not realizing he was eyeing her front head injury with a worried eye.

She, on the other hand, had her attention on his fingertips, the long and sharp nails he was pointing towards her abdomen. Lucy felt threatened and was unsure of the situation. It was already a proven fact that he could very well toss and drag her like a rag doll with a single arm.

She remembered the creature called himself Natsu, and then it was blank after that. Lucy guessed that would explain the new lump she had on the back of her head. She partially thanked her overly sensitive nerves and was grateful she did not have a concussion from the damage she had managed to give herself so far in one day. The shock was still very real as she recalled it, but again, the pain was too much for her to think. But if it weren't for the pain that seemed to pulse itself around her head, Lucy might have as well thought she was dead.

She suddenly felt sick, feeling the burning and nausiating sensation in the pit of her stomach work its way to the back of her throat. Discarding what was in front of her, Lucy pressed a hand to her mouth and stumbled off the bed, barely making it a few feet before her vision wavered and her head felt faint. The moment she felt conscious again, she was on her knees with her head within inches of the floor. It took longer for her to register the arm that was wrapped around her chest, holding her weight up from the ground, her right shoulder pressed into the crease of his arm.

He caught her again.

Lucy jerked, but the brute's strength kept her in place. The clear concern was drenched on his features, but Lucy was now too occupied with trying to crawl to her bathroom door to notice.

Finally slipping from the hold, she quickly pushed to her feet and bolted for the toilet, both her knees crashing into her tile floors a her arms hugged the bowl as a lifeline. Lucy coughed and let out a string of whines, feeling her nose and eyes start to burn. Once her body was satisfied with its release, Lucy leaned up and flushed, climbing the sink to rinse out her mouth. She didn't dare look up to mirror. If she looked anything like she felt, she would rather not be hugging the toilet bowl again.

Lucy decided she needed a hospital visit. Her household medications weren't going to be of much help, she needed a professional eye to take a look at her head and scold her for her careless actions. She could blame the alien all she wanted, but her slamming her head into her table was her own reckless doing, even though it was far from purpose. Though, she couldn't say the same for the bathroom incident. Anyone probably would have fainted in that situation.

And getting out of her apartment and into the fresh air was the most thing she yearned for.

With both her flats slipped on her feet, Lucy carefully stood from the floor, using the wall to balance and keep her body steady. She moved slowly, fearing another blackout.

"I'm leaving," Lucy muttered her voice soft and sharp. It was a habit she still had from still living with her father, and one she decided to keep for her own sake. Her mind had wandered away from the brute for the moment she was standing, but as she opened the door to step out, she caught a glance of his movements from the corner of her eye. He was moving towards her from her bed. Lucy had to blink a few times to register his expression. He looked alarmed upon her leaving and Lucy held her breath, hiding half her body behind her opened door.

"I'll be back!" She said in a hurry, quickly slipping outside the door and shutting it before he reached her. Once the barrier was between them, she pressed her forehead to the surface, taking a moment to take in a few shaking breaths.

In truth, she did not know if she would come back. She did not want to. Not as long as that thing was in there.

Lucy's hands glided on the railing as she made her way carefully down the metal steps of her apartment building, afraid of her body swaying and giving out on her. The air that blew over her smelled of rain, the earthly scent doing well at settling her jumbled nerves. But did little for everything else.

Lucy hugged her arms around her frame as she stepped off the steps and slowly inched her way into the bustling pavements. She allowed herself one glance up at her apartment building as she walked.

Her bedroom window was open, the ripped curtains gently blowing with the breeze.

Lucy turned straight ahead, sucking in some air as her eyes fell to her feet, unclear thoughts going through her mind.

She became aware of all her surroundings but the one that was watching her the most.

* * *

. . .

* * *

"Hm."

Lucy pressed her mouth together as her doctor walked in the room, her folder in hand. The expression on his features was one she could only define as displeasure. He was scowling, a thick brow raised, rubber gloved hands barely flickering through her files before the document was tossed on the counter.

"Moron."

Was all he said, and Lucy found herself staring at her feet in shame, watching his broad figure step into her line of vision. The warm feeling of his rubber covered hands that guided her chin to face him was the gentlest feeling she had felt all weekend, and Lucy could not help but stare at his handsome face while all of his attention was on examining her head.

A large scar adored his right eye, a healed injury from his youth she had always assumed, not having the courage or place to ask. It took the shape of a lighting bolt, amusingly, and Cana had gave him a daring comment and called him 'the second coming of Potter'. The two had been on bad terms ever since, and Lucy had not once brought the brunette as company to another appointment again.

His striking blond hair, not like her fair own, spiked in almost all directions gave him the wrong character, a character Lucy feared and felt intense discomfort upon first meeting him. But as far as misunderstandings went, he was actually one of the kindest people you'd meet in this old fashioned city if you dug deep enough. Everyone showed their kindness in different ways, and his so happened to be insulting. Lucy grew used to it quickly much to her surprise, and found the male to grow on her.

Though he was almost always scowling, he was still someone to admire and adore. Many women would jump at the opportunity to have such a stud as their doctor. Heck, she was a bit infatuated with him after meeting a few times. She was a sucker for a handsome face, but Lucy was not sure what her heart yearned for. She would not complain for a date or two with a handsome man, but she was sure that was all there was to it.

Lucy blinked a few times, knowing that if he caught her staring she would have a third bump to go with the other two.

"Seems you got lucky this time, Lucy," The doctor said, eyes slipping down to meet her own. "Tests came back just fine, just a minor concussion, but no real damaged was caused. Though you should avoid going under tables and low places for the time being," His brow raised, his own way of showing even the smallest bit of amusement or teasing.

Lucy frowned. "Then why did I throw up?"

"Did you look in the mirror?"

"Laxus!" Lucy gasped, moving to kick him as he walked over to the trash bin to remove his gloves, but met the air. "Why are you such a bully to me? You're so nice to your other patients, I've seen it!"

"You're so easy to pick on, though," He mused lightly, glancing at her while he plucked her document off the counter "And many of my other patients are _children_ , much like yourself."

Lucy huffed. "I'm a reliable adult, thank you."

"And the only adult in this city I know of that could manage to nearly crack her skull twice in one day," Lucy glowered, but Laxus went on. "But it's rather amazing that you woke up and brought yourself here to see me today."

"Then shouldn't I be praised?" Lucy smiled, straightening her spine and pushing her shoulders back, appearing tall. The strain was sore and did not help the pain still eating at her head, but the teasing was fun.

Laxus walked over and looked down on her, making Lucy feel small and open under his hard gaze. "Hardly," Lucy opened her mouth to resort, but her eyes fell down to his jaw line, making her words die in the back of her throat. "Just in case, I will prescribe you a small medication to help with any pain and inflammation," Laxus said, taking a clickable pen from his coat pocket and scribbling something down, not noticing Lucy was staring at his collar line. "The swelling and bruising should go down in a few days, but the areas will be tender for a few weeks. Refrain from needlessly touching them."

Lucy nodded numbly, barely registering his words as she zoned out on his neck. Plump and bruised, red patches of skin peeked out from the collar of his shirt, trailing to the edge of his jaw and disappearing down the side of his neck. Lucy felt herself gaping, her lips going dry.

Laxus continued talking and writing, but Lucy was at the point of not being able to hear him at all. Some of the hickies that bloomed across his skin looked fresh, while others looked as if they had already been healing for a day or two. She was no expert, far from it, since she had never been in the heat of a passionate situation before to give her enough back up knowledge. A part of her was shocked that a rough man such as _Laxus_ could be getting some action.

Lucy was almost twenty years old and felt threatened if a sketchy looking man so much as looked at her in public. She had always had Cana with her, who had many times tried to hook her up with a schoolmate. Lucy had always kindly refused, but it was always a reminder of her relationship status.

Lucy was pulled from her trance when the man standing in front of her made a noise, and she rapidly blinked her eyes before looking back to meet his, cheeks darkening.

"I—I'm sorry! I was just—" She fumbled to apologies, but knew it was futile seeing how the damage was already done and noticed. Laxus rolled his shoulders uncomfortably, raising and covering the welts with a hand as he handed Lucy her prescription for medication. Both stood in an awkward and heavy silence and refused to look at the other, but Laxus made the bigger effort in backing up and opening the room door for Lucy to slip through.

"You didn't see anything," He whispered behind her as they both exited the room and closed the door. Lucy watched his broad back as he walked down the hall with his clipboard and file tucked beneath his arm. Her eyes scanned the his female colleagues that smiled as he passed, wondering which woman had the pleasure of and reeled in the interest of the doctor.

* * *

. . .

* * *

Lucy breathed deep and quick, hugging her arms and trying to pull her clothing closer to her body as much as they possibly could. Her steps were sloppy against the pavement, and she had just spent an unnecessary two hours at the pharmacy after getting her medication. She walked around and at least looked through every aisle three times before she finally got tired of the disapproved glances she was receiving from the clerk, and decided to leave. Her apartment was in the opposite direction of where she was walking because Lucy knew one thing for sure.

She _did not_ want to go home.

Since she now knew that she wasn't concussed or that her body wasn't lying dead in her tub and that this simply was all just a scenario that her consciousness had created, the absolute thought of returning to her apartment made her stomach turn.

Going to Cana's had crossed her mind, but there were one of two issues to that. One, the woman was either still sleeping or was awake and dealing with a hangover, and that was something Lucy had learned not to walk in on. She loved Cana, yes, very dearly. But when she was hungover, she was an absolute menace. And Lucy knew her friend would never hurt her or cause harm and danger to anyone, but catch her on a bad morning and she just might change your life. And Lucy found herself turning and flipping over the second reason, which would be Cana was spending time with her father.

And more than anything, that was something Lucy would not want walk in on. The relationship between Cana and her father was in the process of sprouting and growing. It was still being watered, and she would not want to interrupt that even for a moment.

Lucy sighed and looked up at the building that she had stopped herself in front of, glancing inside to see if the person she was looking for was presently on duty. A smile of relief adored her lips when she saw the dark mob of hair and immediately pushed her way through the threshold. Her body absorbed the warm and welcoming air as her legs took her towards the front counter.

"Lucy! God, what the hell happened to your face?"

Even the rough question made her relax, and that was something to be said. Lucy would usually fire back and act insulted, but as she closed the distance between her and the male standing by the register, all the tension in her upper body released and practically caused her to deflate.

"Gray! I am so happy to see you," Lucy said, her voice sounding more frail than she would had liked to let him hear. The male she had her arms wrapped around hesitated before raising his own, his expression softening as his arms slipped around her shaken figure. Lucy leaned into the embrace, going over in her mind just how much she appreciated his friendship. Gray was a friend she could turn to.

They pulled away after minutes of enduring many questioning glances, and Gray gripped her shoulders and met her eyes with a stern question. "What happened?"

It was obvious Lucy looked like she didn't want to answer, but keeping secrets from her friends was something she hated doing. But of course secrets were necessary in the situation she was in. How would she even began to explain that? Gray was looking at her with genuine concern and worry, and here she was biting her tongue while coming to him bruised and beaten.

Lucy sighed. She placed her hand on top of his as a physically dedication that she appreciated him and his efforts, and a silent promise that she would not keep quiet for long. "I'm a clutz," Gray's brows twitch together, and she knew he wasn't buying it. "I could really use a warm drink right about now. Care to join me?"

The man remained silent for a long minute, studying her eyes and obviously seeing through the curtain she was trying to put up. But instead of pestering, he nodded and pulled himself up and over the counter, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Lucy leaned into the hug as they walked towards the store entrance.

"There is a café that opened just a few doors over. I think you'll really like it."

"Sounds great."

And it was. Gray provided Lucy with a relaxing atmosphere that took so much tension from her body, and even took her mind away from what awaited her when she returned home.

The café was small and had a very home-y feel to it, and judging from the lack of presence in the room, Lucy could tell the place was just getting on its feet. She took quiet and calming breathes as she seated herself at the nearest two-seated empty table, and watched Gray for a moment while he ordered their drinks. To describe what she was feeling at the moment would be . . . _embarrassed_.

She suddenly became very aware of her appearance and the quality of the place she was in. From the bruising and welting to the way she was dressed, she looked like a ragged doll. Rushing herself out of her apartment the way she did, Lucy did not give a single thought to the garments she threw on before she was out the door. An oversized sweater over a pair of sleeping shorts and a tank-top, Lucy consciously hugged the outerwear closer. Ducking her head and glaring at the flats on her feet, she knew she couldn't blame herself for her underdressed state.

"So," Lucy jumped up when Gray plopped in the seat in front of her, accepting the cup he slipped to her over the tabletop. "I have a few minutes before my boss will be blowing up my phone. You look terrible."

Lucy scoffed, a small smile on her lips. "Thank you."

"Sorry," Gray chuckled. "I've never seen you . . . not wearing heels and a skirt," Lucy quietly sipped her drink, her eyes wandering the room. Gray mentally punched himself and sighed. "Cana called me," Lucy perked and he grinned, continuing. "Yesterday. She was drinking with Gildarts and accidentally dialed me. Never been yelled at so much before in my life."

Lucy pulled away from her drink and laughed.

* * *

. . .

* * *

Gray ended up returning to work over an hour late and received an earful from his boss, and Lucy practically got to her knees in apologies. A carefree mood followed her all the way home where it evaporated when she came face to face with her door. Her key hovered near the lock, body shaking and too stiff to move. Not one thought was going through her mind.

Her heart pounded audibly in her ears as she slowly inched her hand forward, gripping the knob as she turned the key. The door cracked as it jerked open, and Lucy sucked in a breath and moved her feet towards the threshold.

The space in her room appeared empty and in the same condition it was in when she left hours before. No lights were on and only the street lights shining through her single window illuminated her path as she walked further inside, quietly clicking the door shut behind her.

Her flats were off her feet and Lucy was pulling her sweater off in an instant, frantically moving towards her kitchen and slapping her prescription meds on the counter and ripping open the packet. Her head circulated with pounding rage and curing the pain was the only thing she desired. After gulping down half a glass of tap water and her pills, Lucy turned scanned the room with a fresh sense of caution.

Movement from the edge of her hall caught the corner of her eye, and Lucy was certain her stomach physically dropped to her knees. She thrashed back, her glass cup falling and shattering at her feet, and practically clawed her way over her countertop. The brute moved towards her around the other side of the counter, ducking under her table and coming up right beside her. Lucy screamed and grabbed the nearest item next to her, air freshener spray, and held it above her like she was going to throw it all while about to make a break for it.

"Lucy."

Foreign the voice was. Too foreign to her ears. Unrecognizable, yet oddly understandable.

Lucy's lip trembled between her teeth as she turned to face him, still gripping the spray can and pointing it towards him. She watched him raise himself from all fours and stand on his two feet, his back straightening until his tall height nearly towered over her slanted figure. Golden eyes met hers and didn't falter as he reached up and gripped the spray can she was refusing to let go. Her fingers twitched and the air between the both of them suddenly smelled of a warm summer breeze.

Tears filled her eyes and for a moment, they wandered to her cell phone that was blinking on the other side of the room. Police, Cana, Gray, or even her father.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

"Who are you?" Lucy voiced back immediately, still not looking at him.

She had a feeling of what he was going to say next. Just a feeling. Lucy was still scared for her life, but the memories of a little orb in her bedroom flickered in the front of her mind, memories she thought she had tucked away long before. The little voice she called her friend.

"Natsu," The can slipped from her hand and clattered against the counter before it rolled to the floor. He leaned closer and she unconsciously leaned away, boring into his eyes as her gut flipped and turned. "I promised we would meet again."


End file.
